Team: Seattle Seahawks
Position: Wide Receiver
Card Year: 1991
Card Maker: NFL Pro Set
Card Number: 298
I was especially excited to pick this card, because upon seeing the name and given the age of the card, my first thought was - this guy has to be related to former Lions safety, Bennie Blades. I remember Bennie Blades from my childhood, mostly because his name was Bennie Blades (His name was actually Horatio Benedict Blades). But sure enough, my suspicions were immediately confirmed on the back of the card with Brian being the older brother to Bennie (Horatio).
But while I love to remember an alliterative Lion, this post is about an alliterative Seahawk - Brian Blades, member of the 1987 National Championship Miami Hurricanes and drafted by Seattle in the 2nd round of the 1988 draft. The 1988 draft was wide receiver rich, featuring three future Hall of Fame receivers taken in the first round - Tim Brown, by the Raiders, Sterling Sharpe, by the Packers, and Blades' teammate at Miami Michael Irvin, by the Cowboys.
According to the Seahawks website, Blades was selected as "heir apparent to [Steve] Largent" given that Largent was at the end of his career as the Seahawks number one receiver, and he started off his career in Seattle with a respectable rookie season. He caught 40 balls for 682 yards, resulting in a very solid 17.1 yards/reception. He also scored 8 receiving touchdowns, a career high, and made the NFL All-Rookie team with the aforementioned Tim Brown earning the other WR nod, as well as his brother Bennie (Horatio) at Safety.
1989 was another successful year for Blades, as he eclipsed 1000 receiving yards for the first time in his career, finishing the season with 70 receptions for 1063 yards and 5 touchdowns. This season would be the first and only season that Blades would make the Pro Bowl. He was also the only Seahawk in that season to score two receiving touchdowns in a single game, doing so against the Chargers.
Beyond the scope of this card, Blades played all 11 seasons of his NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks, tallying four 1000-yard seasons in that time. In 1995 he was charged with 2nd degree manslaughter due to a gunshot wound that killed his cousin Charles Blades, during an argument in a condo that [Brian] Blades owned. He was convicted, but a judge overruled the verdict over lack of evidence. This led to a civil suit filed against him and his brother by [Charles] Blades' ex-wife. He remains third on the Seahawks all-time list for both receptions and receiving yards behind the aforementioned Steve Largent and Tyler Lockett.
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